Unfortunately, about two hours before the girls were due to arrive, my kitchen sink swallowed something it found not at all tasty and began spewing up a soup of ground-up lemon rinds and dishsoap. Over the course of the evening, the sink sort of drained out (leaving a vomitous-looking sludge behind). But, it seems it drained right into the bottom of my dishwasher. So now, I'm awaiting a plumber and hoping my landlord will pick up the bill, with a cesspool for a dishwasher. My essential anal retention prevented me from sleeping well, as I was all too aware, all night long, that the mountain of unwashed dishes awaited my attention this morning. It was all I could do to fight the 4:30 AM temptation to haul the whole operation into the bathroom and wash them in the bathtub.
In any case, I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the extended GBC that overlooked the warzone depicted below.
Ooof! Repugnant!
In case any of you feel the need for a souvenir of the evening (I have souvenirs of my own aplenty... you girls left 5 unopened bottles of wine here! Anytime you want to come over and help me out with those, just let me know.), here's my quasi-improvised lasagna recipe:
Marjorie's (not remotely vegan) Spinach Lasagna
For the sauce:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 small yellow onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
2 cans tomato paste
2 28 oz cans diced or crushed tomatoes
salt (preferably kosher)
fresh-ground pepper (preferably tellicherry)
1 tbsp dried marjoram or oregano
2 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp ground fennel
3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce (this is my little secret for brightening the tomatoes-- sssshhhh no telling!)
1 cup red wine
1+ cup heavy cream (to cut the acidity-- I usually just add until it tastes right)
Saute the onions in the olive oil until they're soft. Add the garlic and saute for another minute or so. Add the fresh tomatoes and cook down for another 5 minutes or so. Add all the paste and canned tomatoes, along with the herbs, salt and pepper. I usually put in quite a lot of pepper and go skimpy on the salt because the soy sauce adds saltiness, but with more flavor than just plain salt. Heat it all the way through so that it's bubbling a little. Then stir in the soy sauce and the red wine. When that's all mixed up, add the heavy cream. Simmer in on low while you put together everything else. This actually makes WAY more than you need for one pan of lasagna, so you can freeze the leftover and put it on future pasta dishes (or, if you're avoiding gluten, you can put it on spaghetti squash).
For the filling:
2 bags baby spinach
3 eggs
1 1/2 15oz tubs of ricotta
Just barely wilt the spinach leaves in a pan of boiling water. Drain them. Stir in the eggs and ricotta.
Other stuff you'll need:
Lasagna noodles
Fresh mozzerella
Parmesano Reggiano
Preheat the oven to 350. Start with a generous layer of sauce on the bottom of your 9x14 pyrex pan. I usually use the no-boil noodles, just because it saves a step here. Layer noodles, spinach filling, noodles, sauce, spinach filling, noodles, sauce. Then, slice fresh mozzerella into 1/8-inch-thick rounds and arrange them on the top of the lasagna. Grate fresh parmesan over the top of the whole thing-- enough to create a cheesy sort of crust on the top. Your pan will be VERY full, so I recommend putting it inside a cookie sheet or something to prevent sauce from overflowing onto your oven floor. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cheeses start to brown. Remove the pan from the oven, cover with aluminum foil, return it to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes to set up before serving. Voila! Tasty goodness!
This is just about the only dish I've made so often that I've pretty much fool-proofed it. And memorized it. Initially, it was an experiment when I was really learning how to cook for myself when I was right out of college. It evolved into the first-ever recipe that I made up all by myself. My mom published a version of this recipe in The Tennessean a few years ago, but I think I make the sauce better now than I did when I first invented it.
No, Mom! You're not allowed to but cayenne in it! Just add more tellicherry. I promise. It's better.
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